this is fox 5 news at 6:00. a historic day for christians and the gay community as three pastors are formally recognized. hurricane igor is is changing the course for a cruise ship on the way to bermuda. and the former agriculture department executive forced to resign because of a youtube video speaks out about her ordeal. for a moment this summer shirley sherrod was a household name. >> she was forced to quit the agriculture department after a video posted by a conservative blogger misrepresented her message on discrimination. today she spoke at a local church and her karen gray

houston was there in attend -- and our karen gray houston was there in attendance. >> reporter: the metropolitan african methodist episcopal church on m street has hosted statesmen and civil rights leaders. it's undergoing a major renovation. that did not stop shirley sherrod from retelling her story. >> this person was e-mailing me saying you should be ashamed of yourself. >> reporter: sherrod is still haunted by this now famous video. >> here i was saying i happened to have a white person say they're lazy. >> reporter: it was a speech she gave to the naacp but a conservative blogger posted excerpts that seemed so show she withheld assistance from a georgia farmer because he was white. >> i just knew the administration would support me. >> reporter: sherrod was talking about her own racial transformation, but the truth did not get out until she was forced to resign. president obama apologized. she declined an offer to go back to agriculture.

she said she's suing blogger andrew brightbart. >> do the right thing and god will help you through any situation. >> reporter: folks who heard her remarks had this to say. >> gives us a new perspective on how people are being treated. >> she spoke directly to life, pain, the ability to be able to believe beyond what's possible. >> she said if you do things right from the beginning, it will work out in the end. >> we have to reach out, reach back and help. you know, you never know. you could be helping the second black president of the united states of america and next time she might be a woman. >> reporter: in the district karen gray houston, fox 5 news. >> ms. sherrod's plea to support of a new sundays aimed at highlighting individuals who have made a notable contribution to the nation and african american legacy. a leesburg man now a murder suspect in the death of his wife. police got a call yesterday that the wife of steven combs-

lafleur had fallen. when they arrived at their home on lime kiln road they realized she had been beaten and she decide on the scene. he's now charged with first degree murder. four people are recovering now from a shooting in northwest just after midnight at fifth and shepard streets. all four victims were just sitting in a car when a gunman came up and fired shots into the car. the victims' names and conditions have not been released but they're all expected to survive. for the first time in nearly 100 years a woman is set to be executed in virginia. 41-year-old theresa lewis is scheduled to die by lethal injection at the maximum security prison thursday in jarrett. she pleaded guilty in 2003 to two counts of capital murder for hire. her husband and stepson were the victims. a traffic reminder for d.c. drivers. the south capital and chain bridge remain closed and will reopen monday morning. d.c. transportation officials say emergency repairs were

needed after serious structural problems were found during a routine inspection in may. work is expected to continue on certain weekends throughout next month. hurricane igor is pounding bermuda tonight. large waves are hitting the island's southern beaches. the cat 1 hurricane could drop 6 to 9 inches of rain and hit the area with sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. some forecasters sabre maude a will experience hurricane conditions through -- say bermuda will experience hurricane conditions through late tomorrow. the threat of igor is causing thousands of cruise passengers to make an unexpected stop in boston. the ship took off from europe earlier this week en route to bermuda but detoured because of the storm. the passengers won't get a refund but will stop in new york city on wednesday. >> our weather around here gorgeous once again. gwen tolbert is in the weather center with more on what we can expect into the workweek. i guess if you can get outside and be out in the sunshine

today, you did. >> definitely. it was a spectacular day. let's look at our highs today because temperatures were actually some 7, 8 degrees above normal. 85 degrees at national airport. we hit 86 degrees at dulles and 84 degrees at baltimore today. so absolutely great. now here's a look at counter temperatures across the area. we currently have 83 degrees at national, 82 baltimore, 81 gaithersburg, 86 to the south in fredericksburg and 82 degrees at dulles. for tonight we'll see partly cloudy skies into the course of the overnight hours. then the clouds will thicken up a bit but by about 11:00 it will be 74 and i'll have the latest details on hurricane igor as well as tropical storm julia and a look at that five- day forecast. we've got some important changes coming up just ahead. back to you. >> thank you. see you soon. the first family attended chump today. president obama and first lady -- church today. president obama and first lady

michelle obama took their daughters to st. johns episcopal church. this is fourth time the first family has visited the church and every president there since james madison has visited. a major milestone today in religious circles. three well known pastors in the gay and lesbian community were formally recognized by the lutheran church. fox's jody ambrose is in st. paul with the details. >> reporter: the three lesbian pastors are among the first in the nation to be officially recognized by the evangel val lutheran church in -- evangelical lutheran church in america. during a ceremony filled with song and praise. the congregation is united for three pastors once excluded. >> what a long awaited glorious day. >> reporter: now reverend anita hill, reverend phyllis dil hart and reverend ruth frost are

breaking historic ground. >> it's a thrill to be here at this day. i'm delighted that today is here. >> reporter: the pastors helped pave the way for this rite of passage struggling for equality throughout their careers. reverend hill served as pastor of a st. paul church even when the elca did not accept her. >> it's a day we are received fully as partners in the church. it's a day that stands for hundreds and hundreds of people who were never sure they were welcome in the pews if they weren't welcome in the pulpit and today all that changes. >> reporter: after the pastor's official welcome their names will be added to the elca clergy roster, a right previously denied. in august, 2009 the church voted to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to officially serve as clergy. now the st. paul synod is recognizing the change. the pastors hope their acceptance sends a message to the gay and lesbian community. >> i hope that it will be the

beginning of healing for a whole population that has felt disenfranchised and marginalized. >> reporter: several congregations have fought against the landmark decision and even separated from the church based on their religious convictions, but the people gathered here believe this day is about unity. >> it's always going to be working together within change, within diverse opinions and we listen to one another and we learn and we find our common humanity and we can grow together. >> the three pastors served a combined 60 years in the ministry. they plan to continue to work in the church and the community. some much awaited good news today for people living along the gulf coast. >> an update on the final effort to cap off bp's blow-out well for good. a great day for a picnic and it was even made more special for these children. who they were reunited with that may have saved their lives. and nike's flagship store had to be shut down this weekend, details on what was

crawling around. >> keep it right here. fox 5 news at 6:00 is just getting started. stay with us.  my "me time" is when i thought i parked on level 2. or maybe 8?

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ahead of the u.n. general assembly this week. >> mahmoud ahmadinejad telling the world the united states must accept that iran has a major report in the world. the standoff over iran's nuclear program is not cooling off. >> reporter: you never know what to expect when iran's president speaks at the united nations. usually his remarks include some attacks on the u.s. and israel. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad who arrived today in new york has said leading up to the general assembly immediating that the multi- rounds of sanctions by the u.n. security council over iran's controversial nuclear program had been pathetic. mahmoud said in an interview, "these sanctions will definitely mark a new level of progress in our economy. we have turned sanctions around and created opportunities out of this." but secretary of state hillary clinton says the sanctions have and will continue to affect the iranians. >> the information we're getting is that the iranian regime is quite worried about the impact on their banking

system, on their economic growth because they've already encountered some tough economic times and this is making it more costly. >> reporter: secretary clinton who says thus far iran has not agreed to attend any meetings on its nuclear program during the u.n. session this week says iran needs to permit full nuclear inspections by the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog group. ahmadinejad said his nation is not blocking those inspections but the iaea said last week some of its inspectors have not been allowed to do their jobs inside iran. france's first couple in new york ahead of a joint summit to end poverty. the first lady recently made headlines with the release of a new unauthorized book. the author claims michelle obama confided in bruni that life in the white house was hell. representatives of both first families deny the allegations, but the book will be released

hitting store shelves in france starting later this week. a nasty infestation of bedbugs in nike's flagship store in new york forced the store to shut down. nike town is popular with tourists and shoppers. in a statement nike said they proactively closed nike town when bedbugs were discovered. the company says they're taking steps to clear the problem and expect to be open pretty soon. is bp's blown-out well finally dead? we'll tell you. plus a heartwarming story these children were reunited with the people that one time helped save them. here's a live look outside. get out and get ready to enjoy this evening's pleasant temperatures because gwen is back talking about things heating up for the workweek all coming up next in gwen tolbert's forecast. stay with us. 

it was an absolutely gorgeous day today, the kind of day perfect for a picnic and potato salad. >> are you hungry? >> yes. >> this is where fox 5's tisha thompson ended up with some very special kids who know a thing or two about what it means to have a day like. this these kids got a second chance at life. >> reporter: for most kids running around the play ground is no big deal, but 10-year-old daniel copeland told us he knows he's lucky as he showed off what's left of his two heart surgeries. >> they see my scar because my

shirt hangs down sometimes, i say oh, i had trunkois i riotis and they say what the heck it s that and i say it's a problem with the -- heck is that and i say it's a problem with the arteries. >> reporter: daniel is one of 200 kids who came to a picnic held for children to. get into this party you had to have heart surgery when you were very, very little. >> when i was born, i had a problem and i had to go to a hospital then. >> reporter: leah murray was born win verted heart vessels requiring open heart surgery, angioplasty and a stent. his parents drove from pittsburgh so he could thank his doctors. >> thank you for fixing my heart. and i love being at the party. >> lots of times we see them when we are sick and we don't see them later on when they

grow up and are well. so this is a great for us to celebrate in terms of how well they're doing. >> reporter: the doctors also invited a different kind of cardiac patient to the party. the kids were thrilled to see dogs with heart problems like their own. >> i like to see the dogs and some of them have heart defects, so i think that's really cool. >> reporter: their parents say these kids tend to grow up too fast because they've had very grown-up surgeries. so it's nice to remember that a dog can sometimes bring out the little kid in all of us. in mcclain, tissue thompson, fox 5 news. >> good to receiver one doing well. daniel's mothers -- to see everyone doing well. daniel's mother says he has to have heart surgery every couple years because he has to get some new valves but he says he doesn't mind because they always put him to sleep before he has surgery. >> certainly those kids growing up fast, but at least they know how to keep a smile and today in the weather department we're

all smiling. >> it was such a great day it today. let's look outside because it was a great day to wear shorts and put your convertible top down and everything you could possibly imagine. i think will had his shorts on to end outside because it was great weather for that and i'm happy we are at least giving you a really nice weekend because things are definitely going to change. the week will start with sun and clouds, but by midweek hot and humid and unbelievable considering we're entering into the first day of fall, but the heat and humidity will really get pumped up. a chance of rain ahead in our forecast as well and igor weaker but very much still a dangerous storm. we'll talk about that also. today we saw some pretty clear skies across the area. we've got our frontal system that's moving through, but it didn't really affect our temperatures too much. it's just west of us now. 85 degrees at national airport, 86 at dulles and 84 at baltimore, temperatures 7 to 8 degrees warmer than they should have been. it's currently 81 degrees at

gaithersburg, 82 dulles, martinsburg, 83, 86 fredericksburg and 76 in annapolis at this hour. my temperature map is coming in again because i'm going to show you what's happening in the south. look at all this heat to the south. it's moving our way. we'll start to see temperatures back in the 90s, by midweek. here's a look at igor for you. it's moving its way to the north at about 15 miles an hour and is going to pass just to the west of bermuda, but still affecting it very much so as we saw earlier and we're talking about a lot of dangerous surf here. looks also like we'll see some of that dangerous surf affecting areas along the eastern seaboard for the united states as well as some very dangerous rip currents as we move through the next 24 to 48 hours. julia, on the other hand, tropical storm is weakening. not expected to do too much but die out and the remnants will be absorbed by igor. winds with igor now 80 miles per hour. by monday it's expected to become extra tropical, start to

lose its tropical characteristics and both of these heading off to the north atlantic. so this storm still very much so a big problem for bermuda. for us at home we'll see this frontal system push through overnight, partly cloudy skies and then for tomorrow some patchy morning fog. be prepared for that. ridge of high pressure to the west. as far as tonight is concerned, though, areas along the allegheny front, mason dixon line, we're talking about a little shower activity possible with the passage of that frontal system, very isolated and as we have move through to the later part of the week, we'll also end up seeing an upper level disturbance and that will set us up for some much needed rainfall. in the meantime tomorrow we won't be too bad at all, sun and clouds, by midday around 75 degrees and we are talking tonight once again about just seeing partly cloudy conditions with mostly the clouds starting to wane their way out in the overnight hours, 63 degrees for our overnight low and for tomorrow plenty of sunshine, not bad at all at 80 degrees. here's a look at our five-day

forecast for you. that ump level disturbance looking at bringing up -- upper level disturbance looking at bringing up a chance of thunderstorms wednesday and thursday. right now it's a 30% chance mainly to the north of us, but we'll have to watch it closely. we are peaking up to 90 degrees wednesday and will, i know you don't like that humidity i'm always talking about. it will be coming back at least briefly, thursday first official day of fall. >> thanks. the well is finally dead, a permanent cement plug sealed bp's blown-out well in the gulf this morning coming five months after the explosion that sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in u.s. history. the april 20th blast killed 11 workers and 206 million gallons of oil intoed into the gulf. -- spewed into the gulf. a strange case for police in california after a group of cult members went missing. the group was found this morning in a park praying after police raided their home. officers were concerned after finding evidence yesterday that the cult members were awaiting

the rapture of some catastrophic event. in pennsylvania police are looking for a gunman after three people including two children were shot. it happened yesterday outside a store in philly. police say a gunman opened fire and o a -- on a 19-year-old man and hit two children nearby, one of them said to be in critical condition. in atlanta a man was shot and killed over a12-pack of beer. police say the gunman opened fire after the 48-year-old victim refused to give up the beer late yesterday. the search continues for the shooter. well, it was definitely a big day for tv watching for football fans. >> the dallas cowboys home opener today, the team hoping to bounce back after last weekend's loss to the redskins. so did they do it? sports coming up next. wa

hi, everybody, i'm dave feldman. since 1978 only three teams have started the season 0-2 and reached the super bowls. cowboys did it in 19903 but didn't want to put themselves -- 1993 but didn't want to put themselves in a similar situation today with a loss to the bears. today heads up the sideline, fake out punter and goes 62 yards for the score dallas taking the lead 7-3. 2nd quarter, cutler lobs into the end zone for devin hester, makes a terrific one-handed

catch, 9-yard touchdown, cutler with three tds on the day. the bears beat the cowboys. dallas is 0-2. eagles visiting the lions, michael vick making his first nfl start since december, '06. 1st quarter vick drops back, finds desean jackson, the former california golden bear ahead of everybody and into the end zone. vick 21-34, 284, two tds, eagles up seven. jackson gives vick the ball. 4th quarter eagles up 28-17. the handoff to la shawn mccoy, good for 45-yard score. eagles hold on to win 35-32. john harbaugh and the ravens with another road test today against the cincinnati bengals. 3rd quarter ravens trail 6 -0. joe flacco goes up the right side to derrick mason, 31 yards for the touchdown, ravens taking a 7-6 lead. later in the 4th quarter ravens down 12-10. flacco's pass, tipped and picked by brandon johnson led to a fifth cincinnati field

goal. flacco with a career high four picks. bengals defeat the ravens 15- 10. one other score vikings lose to the dolphins 14-10, brett favre and minnesota now 0-2. baseball nats trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the phillies. top of the 4th nats trail 3-1, michael morris with two on, two out takes joe blanton to deep right field. that clears the wall for a three-run home run. the nats took a 6-3 lead into the 9th inning. bottom of the 9th, two runs already surrendered. jason worth takes it to the deepest part of the park. phillies beat the nats 7-6 to complete the three-game sweep. orioid a sweep to the yanks. bottom of the 11th, ty wigginton drives one to the gap in right center field. luke scott comes into score the game winning run as the orioles edge the yanks 4-3 and yankees win the season series 13-5.

so we've got football, baseball and it's also the time of year where hockey starts creeping into the conversation into the landscape. training camp has begun for the caps and despite last year's early playoff exit the team returns almost all of its players, something that gives this group a lot of confidence. >> for the most part 90 some percent of the same guys and it's a good feeling coming back and george is so confident in our team he didn't have to build things up. we're happy george kept us together and we and he believe we have the team to do it and it's up to us now to get the job done and show everyone who doesn't think we're the right team to prove them wrong and show them we can do it all through the year. women's professional soccer philadelphia independence hosting the washington tree dom, scoreless, 128th minute. the ball -- freedom, scoreless 128th minute. the freedom are eliminated and fall 1-0 and right now a certain football game, the

washington redskins in control 27-17 in the 4th. albert haynesworth not active, did not play today. >> an expensive guy not to be playing. >> yup. we'll see what happens this week. >> that does it for us at 6:00. we are all back for you tonight at 10:00 and the news edge at 11:00. >> we'll see you then. úh>